The Power by Naomi Alderman

The Power by Naomi Aldermanis an incredible and important read. It’s by far one of the best books I’ve read. I don’t generally read Sci-Fi, but the premise of this novel – women developing this electric power and starting a new world order – was too good to pass up. While I initially expected a sort of fun, feminist manifesto, I soon learned that this was much more of a cautionary tale about power.

Alderman shows us repeatedly that power doesn’t care who it attaches itself to, and that it can be misused. It’s like that old Spiderman thing: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Imagine our world ripped apart by war, the atrocities of rape and senseless violence, the growth of the drug trade. Now imagine that world and all the shitty things in it run by women. Women raping, killing, being crime bosses, etc. It’s horrifying.

The Power is an incredible read. I couldn’t put it down. It’s funny, disturbing, and exciting from a woman’s point of view. It’s uncomfortable to read because it parallels a world that is already far too real for us. I said this to a friend but good Science Fiction can really do that–show us what we could become, show us what we are.

While this book focuses more on power, it’s also punctuated by many bad-ass bitch moments. This is especially true at the end when there’s a hard clap-back about women’s literature. This is amazing for so many people and would be beneficial for men to read; to feel the fear that women do just living their day-to-day lives.